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Jaguar Land Rover extends cyberattack shutdown to four weeks, costing £50m per week

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Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Britain’s largest carmaker, said it will keep its factories closed until October 1 following a cyberattack earlier this month that has paralyzed operations and rippled across the automotive supply chain. The shutdown, now stretching to four weeks, is costing the Tata Motors-owned luxury carmaker about £50 million ($68 million) per week, according to the BBC.

JLR runs three UK factories producing around 1,000 vehicles a day, including the popular Range Rover and Defender models. The outage has forced many of its 33,000 employees to stay home, while smaller suppliers are also struggling to cope with the disruption.

Adding to the fallout, industry sources told The Insurer that JLR was left without direct cyber insurance coverage, having failed to finalize a deal brokered by Lockton before the attack. The company has declined to comment on its insurance position or on who may be behind the breach.

Government ministers, including Peter Kyle and Chris McDonald, visited JLR on Tuesday to discuss recovery plans. McDonald said the government’s top priorities are “helping Jaguar Land Rover get back up and running as soon as possible and the long-term health of the supply chain.”

The shutdown underscores the UK’s broader vulnerability to ransomware and cyberattacks, which have recently hit major retailers like Marks & Spencer and Co-op, and even disrupted airport check-in systems across Europe. Official figures show more than 40% of UK businesses reported some form of cyber breach in the past year.

S&P Global’s latest survey shows JLR’s stoppage is already weighing on UK manufacturing output. With JLR’s supply chain supporting over 104,000 jobs, the Unite union has warned of potential layoffs and urged government support to protect workers and suppliers.

JLR said it is working on a phased restart plan, though the investigation into the attack continues. “We have made this decision to give clarity for the coming week,” the company said, stressing its focus on minimizing disruption to staff and partners.

UK Announces £1 Billion Deal for AESC EV Battery Gigafactory in Sunderland

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The UK government on Friday unveiled a £1 billion ($1.33 billion) funding agreement to support the construction of a major AESC gigafactory in Sunderland, a move aimed at significantly scaling up the country’s electric vehicle (EV) battery production capacity.

The facility, to be built by Japanese battery maker AESC, will supply enough batteries for up to 100,000 EVs per year, marking a six-fold increase over current output. The project is expected to play a key role in accelerating Britain’s transition to greener transportation and boosting domestic manufacturing.

“This investment in Sunderland will not only further innovation and accelerate our move to more sustainable transport, but it will also deliver much-needed high quality, well-paid jobs,” said Finance Minister Rachel Reeves in a government statement.

The gigafactory will be located near Nissan’s car manufacturing site, the largest in the UK. Nissan previously committed in 2023 to building electric versions of two of its car models at the Sunderland plant — a signal of deepening EV production in the region.

Funding Breakdown:

  • £680 million in financing unlocked via financial guarantees from the National Wealth Fund and UK Export Finance.

  • Backed by major banks including Standard Chartered, HSBC, SMBC Group, Société Générale, and BBVA.

  • The remaining £320 million will come from private sector financing and new equity provided by AESC itself.

AESC CEO Shoichi Matsumoto welcomed the announcement, stating:

“This investment marks a key milestone in AESC’s ongoing efforts to support the UK’s path towards decarbonisation and the expansion of its EV market.”

The Sunderland gigafactory is part of Britain’s broader strategy to reshore critical EV supply chains, reduce reliance on overseas battery imports, and solidify the country’s position in the fast-growing global EV economy.